Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	8,077	5	5.8830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47599	The marrow of true justification, or, Justification without works containing the substance of two sermons lately preached on Rom. 4:5 ... : wherein the nature of justification is opened, as it hath been formerly asserted by all sound Protestants, and the present prevailing errors against the said doctrine detected / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1692 (1692)	Wing K76; ESTC R18579	45,425	50

Obedience in his Justification before God than Job had Alas we must all say with David Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall 〈◊〉 Man living be justified This must be our Plea when we come to die i. e. My Trust is in Christ in his Blood in his Death in his Righteousness This is only pleadable now and in the Judgment-Day this will give ease to a convinced terrisied Conscience that knows the Nature Holiness Purity and Justice of God We must say with Anselm My Conscience hath deserved Damnation and my Repentance is not sufficient for Satisfaction but certain it is that th● Mercy aboundeth above all Offences The Prophet Isaiah cries out He was un●done notwithstanding his sincere Obedience because a Man of unclean lip● Isa 6. When the Day of Judgment or Death comes all Hands will be weak and all Hearts faint Confidence in our own Uprightness will then fail 〈◊〉 because no Works can then be found to answer the Righteousness of God 〈◊〉 thou shouldst mark Iniquity who shall stand O Lord Righteousness belongs ●nto the● but unto us Confusion of face though I know nothing of my self yet am I not ther● by justified No no he was justified by the Righteousness of God by Christ's sinle●● Obedience and not by his own imperfect though sincere Obedience therefore all Works done by the Creature are excluded 'T is evident the God●● at the Judgment-Day will not plead their own Righteousness but contra●●●wise will then renounce it in this respect as appears by that in Matth. 25. 3● Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee thirsty and gave thee 〈◊〉 c. They will rather blush and be ashamed to hear any mention of their Work● or of their Obedience than to plead it at that Day All the good Worl● which they have done will be swallowed up in the Admiration of God's Fre● and Infinite Grace But so much as to the Proof of the Doctrine I shall 〈◊〉 with a brief Word of Application Application This reproves all such as go about to eclipse the Doctrine of Free Gra●● or of Justification by Faith only and plead for sincere Obedience and 〈◊〉 Grace and Works together Also it may serve to convince all Men That su●● Teachers however cry'd up are not true Gospel-Ministers and therefo●● should be avoided though they should speak with a Tongue like A●●gels 1 Caution Do not think O Soul that thy own Righteousness doth just●● thee through Christ's Merits or that Christ's Righteousness is thy 〈◊〉 Righteousness and not thy Evangelical No no he is thy whole Saviour● 't is Christ's own Arm that brought Salvation 't is not our own Righteousne●● joined or coupled with the Merits and Righteousness of Christ but his Personal Righteousness only received by Faith And 2. Take heed you do not put Faith it self in the room as your Act or as a Divine Habit or as the Product thereof of perfect Obedience for 't is Christ's Righteousness that is put in the place or room of that perfect Obedience which God required of us in Point of Justification Faith only justifies in respect of the Object it apprehends and takes hold of 3. Tremble ye who trust in your Moral or Gospel-Obedience your Acts of Mercy or good Deeds and holy Lives Tremble ye who rest on your Du●ies who glory in your knowledge and outward Privileges you fast and ●ray and hear Sermons and so you may and go to Hell at last notwithstanding these things you must do but yet not seek to be justified thereby do ●hem as Duties in point of Performance but lay them down in point of Dependance 4. Here is Comfort for Sinners but if you are self-righteous Persons or go about like the Jews of old to establish your own Righteousness down to Hell you will fall Rom. 10. 2. This Doctrine will support you that are weak and doubt for-want of inherent Righteousness that want a Righteousness of your own see here is a Righteousness take hold of it A Robe of Righteousness Put it on Believe on Christ as poor Sinners come to him you that have to Money no Worth no Merit no Righteousness this Wine and Milk of Justification and Pardon is for you Cry to God to help you to believe Christ is the Author of your Faith 't is the Gift of God 't is a Grace of the Spirit Do you see you are wounded Look to Christ Believe and thou shalt be saved Mark 16. 16. Joh. 3. 15 16. If thou can'st not come to God as a Saint come as a Sinner nay as a Sinner thou must come and may'st come Obj. But this Doctrine is decried for Antinomianism Answ They know not what Antimonanism is that thus brand us as hereafter I shall God-assisting prove If this is to be an Antimonian we must be all such and let them mock on the Lord open their Eyes We are for the Law as Paul was and for Holiness and sincere Obedience as any Men in the World but we would have Men act from right Principles and to a right end We would have Men act in Holiness from a Principle of Faith from a Principle of Spiritual Life be first married to Christ that they may bring forth Fruit to God Rom. 7. 4. We preach to you Sinners that Jesus Christ will entertain you if you come to him bid you welcome and not cast you off because of the Greatness of your Sins though you have no Qualifications to recommend you to him Would you wash your selves from your Sins and then come to the Fountain of his Blood to be washed we hold forth Christ to be your whole Saviour and that he is set forth as the Propitiation through Faith in his Blood whom if you close with and believe in you shall be justified We tell you God justifies the Ungodly i. e. that they are so before justified Nor is ou● Doctrine any other than what all sound Protestants have always contended for nay which the Church of England in her 39 Articles doth assert viz. Imputed Righteousness and Justification only for the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works and Deservings and that we are justified by Faith only and that Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasing to God forasmuch as they spring not from Faith in Christ neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace c. Let me exhort you not to receive for Truth all things that you find asserted in some Men's Books Sermons and Writings though recommended by such Men you have so great a Veneration for I hope some of those Ministers that have set their Hands to Mr. William ' s late Book will see Cause to repent of their rash Act and great Inadvertency for we cannot see but that the said Book brings in another Gospel or is a Subversion of the Gospel tho' the unwary Reader may not soon discover the

own Faith to be the Gift of God or a Grace of the Holy Spirit but that which the Creature has power when the Gospel is Preached to act by common assistance and influences he hath power to do and perform as any other Duties of Religion as to Pray hear the Word c. And thus they make the whole stress of Man's Salvation after all that Christ hath done to depend upon the depraved and corrupt Will of the Creature and faith such a condition of Justification and Eternal Life as may or may not be performed which if true it might so fall out that not one Soul might be saved notwithstanding the precious price paid by Jesus Christ to redeem them for by the same purity of Reason one Man may resist the offers of Grace and not believe in Christ or exert that power every Man may as well do 〈◊〉 too See Mr. Troughton's Luther us Redivivus p. 2. 5. Some also there be who affirm that Justification consisteth in our being perfectly and inherently Holy by the Spirit Light or Christ within and that no ●an can be Justified unless he be in himself perfect without Sin These Men for all their late pretences in talking of Christ's righteousness yet 〈◊〉 evident those who assert this Doctrine say God doth not accept any where there is any failing or do not fulfil the Law and Answer every demand of Justice Edw. Burroughs Works 14 Queries p. 33. And another of their chief Teachers saith That Justification by the righteousness of another or which Christ fulfilled for us in his own Person wholly without us we boldly affirm saith he to be a Doctrine of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which doth now Deluge the World Pen ' s Apol. p. 148. And again he says It is a great Abomination to say God should condemn and punish his innocent Son that he having satisfied for our Sins we may be justified by the imputation of his perfect righteousness Pen ' s Sandy Foundation p. 25. And then afterwards speaking of that Text Rom. 2. 13. Not the Hearers of the Law are Just before God but the Doers of it shall be Justified From whence saith he how unanswerably may I observe that unless we become Doers of that Law which Christ came not to destroy but as our Example to fulfil we cannot be Justified before God Nor let any fansie that Christ hath fulfilled it for them as to exclude their Obedience from being requisite to their Acceptance but only as their Pattern Pen ' s Sandy Foundation p. 26. No marvel they Preach up a sinless Perfection to be attainable in this Life or that Men may live and not Sin at all since without an actual Obedience in our own Persons to the Law in every part and branch of it no Man can be Justified in the sight of God We say there is no Man can be Justified but by a compleat and perfect righteousness either inherent in us or imputed to us but 't is evident by what I have already shewed no Man hath such a righteousness in himself there being none that doth good and sinneth not if we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1. 8. Paul cryed out When he would do Good Sin was present with him Rom. 7. Besides if a Man could live and Sin not yet he could not thereby be Justified because all have sinned and broke God's Law who shall therefore satisfie for and pay off the old score 6. Another sort there be that hold that some things must be done by the Creature not only to prepare for but to procure Justification not believing they can have this Wine and Milk without Money and without price Isa 55. 1 2. or something of their own They think they must make themselves clean and then come to Christ to be washed and Justified 7. There are others of late as well as formerly who by too many are looked upon to be true Preachers of the Gospel and Orthodox Men who are strangely tainted with that poysonous Notion which brings in sincere Ob●dience unto the Gospel as joyning it with Faith in point of Justification Thus I find they express themselves viz. That Faith and Obedience are Conditions of the Gospel or of the Covenant of Grace as perfect Obedience was of the Covenant of Works and that Christ hath purchased by his Death that this new Covenant should be made with us viz. That if we would believe and obey the Gospel we should be pardoned and saved c. Therefore that for which we are Justified and saved is our Faith and Obedience and so far as I can gather the Faith they speak of doth not respect the taking hold of Christ's Righteousness c. but the Belief of the acceptance of our Person 's Holiness and sincere Obedience to the Gospel through Christ to our Justification Christ having taken away by his Death the rigour of the Law of the First Covenant which required perfect Righteousness in point of Justification and hath made the terms of our Justification easier viz. instead of perfect Obedience God will now accept of imperfect Obedience if sincere and acquit us from Condemnation and receive us to Eternal Life Now such who have always been looked upon as sound in this great Fundamental Point of Justification believe and teach Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it and in our Nature and stead as our Head Representative and Surety to do and perform the terms thereof I mean the Law of Works which we had broken and by his Death made a full compensation to the Justice of God for our breach of it whose Actual and Passive Obedience or Righteousness is imputed to all who believe in him We say Obedience supposeth a Man Justified but these Men say that Obedience concurs with Faith to Justifie or is part of our Righteousness to Justification We affirm as a Worthy Divine Observes that Faith alone perfectly Justifies by trusting in the Righteousness of Christ so that there is no Condemnation to them who are in Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 1. or truly believe in him but they teach that Faith and Obedience Justifie only as the Conditions of the Gospel i. e. as thereby we doing what the Gospel requires of us and so we are Justified or accepted so far as our Faith and Obedience go and no farther and when they are perfect at Judgment we shall be perfectly Justified so that they render our Justification to be as imperfect as our inherent Personal Holiness or Sanctification is imperfect or to give it in the Words of a Learned Writer they intimate while we are imperfect our Justification is imperfect also and if our Faith and Obedience be interrupted or utterly lost Justification is interrupted and utterly lost likewise nor is it any wonder our Justification should be look'd upon by them to be imperfect while any Imperfections remain in us if the perfect